Display apparatus



April 16, 1940.

J. OAKLEY 2,197,057

DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed April 5, 1939 ATTORNEY.

.PatentedApr. 1 1940 omen STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY APPARATUS John. Oakley, Springfield, I assignor to Perkins-Machine and Gear Company, West Springfield, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts I Application April 3,1939, Serial No. 265,741

' j soiaimsi (01'. 40-34) This invention-'relat'esto improvements in dis I ,play apparatus and is directed more particularly to improvements in display "apparatus having a display surface with parts thereoffjarranged for movement as" in the patent to Kennedy No.

1,743,017 ofTJanuary 7, 1930.? n

The principal objects of this invention are'directed tothe-provision ofa'display apparatus of the class referred'to' wherein novel operating means is providedqfor actuating the movable parts of the display surface;

' x Accordingly, there is provided an actuating or .operatingmeans which issimple in form and efficient in its operation so as to not only meet '15 fth'edem'ands of low cost-construction but to meet 3 the requirements of smoothness and quietness of I operation. {To thatend the novel operating mechanism] consists of a;.few co-operating elements including interengaging members such as aworm-and worm gear, the former of which is 'preierably'rotated by a motor. i

- According-to the invention,'in order to corn pensate for wear ofjthe parts and thereby insure the desired smoothness and-efficiency ofoperation 5", m is yieldingly urged'into operativefen vgagement with the worm .gearQby, means of a flexible or yieldable memberisuch as a'spring. In this way the" mechanism aut'ornatically compensates for wear' should the same occur andfsmooth, 3.0' quiet and positive operation' soxmuch desired is panel and f transverse members -and said gears :carry the movable-portions or sections of the surface of the display apparatus.

. Variouslother novel objects and; advantages of the invention will be hereinafter more fully re 1 ferred to in connection with'the accompanying I description of thepresent preferredform of the drawing, wherein: v

.. "invention. with reference j to the accompanying Fig. l is a small'scale front elevational View ofthedisplay apparatus embodying the novel features offthe' inventionyw'i f; i

of such and s journal portions [2 spaced from plates 8.

strong structure.

Fig.2 is a rear elevational view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is -an'enlarged rear elevationalvi'ew of a portion of the display apparatus having the operating mechanism of the invention associated 5- therewith; a 3

Fig.4 is a perspective fragmentary elevational view of a portion of one of the supporting meme bers; i

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional elevational view 10 on the limit-5 of Fig. 1; I I '3 Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective View showing the end of the resilient member for. urging the worm gear into engagement with the worm gear; Fig, '7 is a fragmentary rear elevational View of the apparatus at an enlarged scale taken at the rearsidethereofto explaincertain features Fig. 8 is an exploded view showing in perspec tive the driving mechanism of the display 'appa' 20' ra tus shown in Fig, 3.

Referring now to the drawlng more'in detail, the inventionwill be fully described.

The apparatus on its forward side has a panel 2- which is'provided with a plurality of spaced openings in which are disposed.discsrepresented generally by 4. It will be understood that the discs are suitably supportedfor rotation in the openings so that they may be moved or rotated as will hereinafter more fully appear. so

At the rear side of the display apparatus there isfa supporting structure which may consist ,of a

plurality of longitudinal extending supporting members '6. These supporting members 6 have forward plate portions 8, spacing portions l0, and Spaced 1 lugs or ears '14 are formed-along the lower edges of the plate 8' and these are arranged to be offset inplanes spaced from and at the rear of the plate parts8.

The lugs'rest on the rear side of the panel 2 and are secured thereto in some suitabiemanner as by welding. The ears are arranged so as to bear on the panelsZ at points between the openingsfor the discs.

- The members 6 are more or less U-shaped and secured to the plate Zin such a way as to provide a space therebetween for gears and at the same time act to reinforce and strengthen the panel and co-operate therewith to provide a rigid and The parts 8 and i2 of the I longitudinal members 6 provide bearings for shafts l6. The shafts on their-forward ends carry gears l8 whichare in mesh'with. one. an-

other and on the gears the discs 4 previously referred to are carried.

There may be collars or other spacing means 20 between the gears l8 and plates 8 and other collars 22 on the shafts IE to hold the shafts and gears against axial movement so that the discs are properly disposed in their respective openings.

The novel operating mechanism of the invention is shown in Fig. 3. A bracket or support 26 is suitably secured to one or more of the members 6 as shown and a motor represented by 28, 1

shaft, a worm on said shaft having a free end, a

is secured to the support. I v

A shaft 30 of the motor has a worm 32 thereon which is in mesh with a worm gear 34fixed to a shaft 36, which, in turn, is journalled in the bracket. The worm has an outer free end'and the construction is preferably such that slight movements of the worm are possible relative to v the axis of gear 34. a

A shaft 28' is journalled in the bracket 25 and functions as the driven shaft. This .may be coupled or connected in any suitable manner to one of the gears I8 so that as said shaft 28' is rotated as desired, the various shafts l6 and discs 4 are rotated by means of gears l8. The

adjacent gears l8 of a row are in meshing engagement and those of one row are in meshing engagement with adjacent gears of an adjacent row so that simultaneous rotation of all the gears 18 is made possible by rotation of any one of 0' As shaft 36 is rotated keeper 48 is in engagement with the peripheral surface of cam 42 and shaft 28' is at rest until the cam 42-,engages keeper 48 and moves it. When the keeper is moved, the teeth of gear lll engage with the teeth thereby the discs 4 are rotated intermittently.

To eliminate lost motion and noise and to in-j sure quietness and smoothness of operation while maintaining simplicity, the worm 32 is yieldingly held in engagement with the worm gear by means of a resilient member54. This member may be in the form of a fiat spring 54 secured atone'end to the bracket 26, as shown, and which has its other end provided witha cup 56 in which a projection 58 of the Worm 32 is seated. ..The

parts are arranged in such a manner that the spring acts on the outer end of the worm and yieldingly urges the worm into meshing engage-j ment with the worm gear thereby not only to provide smoothness of operation but to corn pensate for wear should any occur between the worm and worm gear. r

While I have described the inventionin great detail and with respect to the present preferred form thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto since changes and modifications maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without. departing from the essential characteristics-thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not of gear 44 and gear 44 is then rotated until keeper 48 again engages the peripheral part of 'cam 42;

Thus shaft 28 is intermittently rotated. and;

. nation,'a front panel member provided-with ua plurality of openings, ar'ear' supportingstruc-" 6 set members, the latter being securedto the. rear, face of the panelmember and. providing gearspaces between said plate and panelimembera fi shaftsjournalled in said journaland plate mem-g bers', intermeshing gears on said shaftsinqsaid gear spaces, and discs on said vgears.inlsaid.

7 panel having plateand ofisetpo'rtions, the lat-5 ter of which are secured to therearfadeofsaid I panel to provide spaces between said :panel and.

restrictive, the scope of the invention being in-- n." H

dicated by the appended claims ratherthan by 5 V the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equiva lency of the claims are therefore intended to be j 5 embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by L tt s I Patent of the United Statesisz;

1. The combination of display apparatusin fi. eluding a display surface having portions thereof? adapted for. relative movements with operating means therefor comprising,- a motor having'af.

worm gear engaging said worm, and a resilientmember engaging said worm and urging the 'same- J15" 2. The combination of display apparatus ininto engagement with said worm gear.

eluding a display surface having portions thereof adapted for relative movements with operating means therefor comprising, a support, a motorp;

v on said support having a shaft, a worm associated with said shaft having a'free endya worm geari rotatable relative to said support, and spring means on said support acting on said worm to 'urge said worm and gear into engagement.

3. The combination of display apparatus shaft having a free end provided with a projec tion, a worm gear rotatable relative to, said. supi2: i a

p ageable with saidworm, and-aspring;

secured to saidsupportl'provided witha seat in;

which said projection is receivable" andadapted .v to maintain said worm and gear in operablere-f lation.

.4. A display: apparatus comprisingcombination, a front panel provided with-a plurality of openings, a rear support structure includin 9, ate and offset portions, thelatter being sIe cured to the rear face of the panel and spacing the former therefrom,' .shafts .journalled in' said'l.

supporting structure, interm eshing gears on shafts between the panel, and supporting struc' ture, and discs on said gears disposed in"said; openings. I v I 5. A displayfappar atus comprising, in combig ture. including plate, journal, and relatively .off;

openings.

6.. A display apparatus comprising in combina I tion, a front panel membe'r-provided with a p lu-,-[

rear of the panels including plate portions hav'-,.

rality of openings, supporting members at the ing offset parts secured to the rear ,face of the; 1

panel and "spacing the plate portions therefrom";

shafts journalle'd in" said plate"portioris;'" intermeshing gears on said sha fts in the spaces tween the panel. and plate portions, andjdiscs ings. d 7

7. A display apparatus comprising in combination, a front panel provided with'a plurality" of openings, supporting members jat the'rear .ofthe associated with said gears disposed in said-open plate portions and provided-with,journalypore;

v rear of the panel formed to have plate, lug, and

journal portions spaced from forward and rear sides thereof, the lug portions being secured to the rear face of the plate portion and providing spaces between the panel and plate portions, shafts journalled in said journal and plate portions, intermeshing gears in said spaces fixed to said shafts, and discs associated with said gears disposed in said openings.

JOHN OAKLEY. 

